I thank religion for the music

[Dubium]

I wonder where would classical music lovers be without the great religious works written by such composers as Bach, Handel, Vivaldi and Mozart (to name but a few)?

Though an atheist, I love the beautiful religious music (even some hymns) of the great composers. I find 'The Messiah' really uplifting, and 'Dies Irae' from Mozart's Requiem is great to fume to when one is angry. Some of the traditional christmas carols are beautiful too, even though I hate Christmas! I like the choral music of Pallestrina and the medieval masses... and so on and so forth. They have magic and mystery and power.

I wonder would such great music have been written if there were no religious texts for inspiration? Hopefully, yes.

[Paul C. Anagnostopoulos]

There you go. My wife, an atheist to make the rest of us blanch, sings at least two religious music programs each year.

One cool thing about not believing in any particular god is that you can enjoy everything religious for its unalloyed beauty.

~~ Paul

[Jorghnassen]

It's interesting to not that Mozart wrote practically no religious music between his Mass in C and his Requiem (there's something like a 10 prolific years gap IIRC, which, given Mozart's lifespan, is pretty big)... I'm an atheist too and I love classical music, whether it's religiously inspired or not. But when it comes to Christmas music, I really do appreciate the religious ones in general way more than the "it's the holiday season' ones.

[tkingdoll]

I was thinking this exact same thing earlier today, not about classical music, but about the great and greatest soul records. I was listening to Donny Hathaway and thinking 'yes, most of these songs are about Jesus, but boy they sound great'. I guess it depends whether or not you can separate the inspiration for a song from the final result. Personally, I'd listen to music about Tom Cruise if it had a funky enough bassline.

[Fungrim]

I wonder would such great music have been written if there were no religious texts for inspiration?
I believe so. Early classical music went with the money. Either you had a job, in a church or in school, which was probably highly religious anyway, or you had a benefactor who could homour you. From Beethoven this starts to ease up a bit. And don't forget that Mozart alkso wrote the Marrige of Figaro and a lot of fantastic orchestral music, etc. And today there's a lot of good quality music being created, classical and non-classical, that isn't religious. I think most of the artists and composers would have been just as talented and productive without religion. How many of them openly claimed to "compose for the glory of god", and actually mean it? Not that many I think.

[c4ts]

I wonder where would classical music lovers be without the great religious works written by such composers as Bach, Handel, Vivaldi and Mozart (to name but a few)?

Though an atheist, I love the beautiful religious music (even some hymns) of the great composers. I find 'The Messiah' really uplifting, and 'Dies Irae' from Mozart's Requiem is great to fume to when one is angry. Some of the traditional christmas carols are beautiful too, even though I hate Christmas! I like the choral music of Pallestrina and the medieval masses... and so on and so forth. They have magic and mystery and power.

I wonder would such great music have been written if there were no religious texts for inspiration? Hopefully, yes.

Yeah, over the millennia religion has had the best advertising ever.

[Tanja]

I totally agree - religious music - the masses, Glorias, Requiems, Negro Spirituals, absolutely wonderful. I spent most of my youth singing in church choirs and other choirs singing a lot of church music.
I am still very proud of the fact I sang the soprano solo in Vivaldi's Gloria some seven years ago in a concert. One of the best moments of my life.

[cajela]

Oh yeah. Love classical music - some of the most gorgeous stuff ever written is religious. Mozart Requiem, Monteverdi's Vespers, Rachmaninoff's Vespers...

Though modern Christian music has severely lost it. JC Superstar had something, but Xian rock sucks severely.

[arias]

If you are of the belief that religions are created and not inherent, that is, an atheist, then thanking the religion for music is like thanking your mom for your accomplishments. But more than that, if you subscribe to that belief, you have to thank your mom's mom for your mom, your mom's mom's mom for your mom's mom etc.. So you should thank the creator of religions etc.

Just a logic snitch.


In my view, some religious music is wonderful. But without religion, there would have been other kinds of events, literature, STUFF, in general, that would have taken precedence and in turn, have music written about it. That music could be similarly great...

But no credit taken away from good music that's inspired by religion -- still great.

[Iacchus]

I wonder would such great music have been written if there were no religious texts for inspiration? Hopefully, yes.Well, I don't think people have had enough of "silly loves songs" either ... do you? :D